Beef, brittle hair, & protein

Hi Everyone, For the past two nights I've thrown up my last meal of the day. Last night I tried a little steak from the grill along with some potatoe & summer squa**** came up as quickly as it went down. Tonight I tried "pot roast" with a little gravy..& the same thing happened. BLECK! I'm assuming that my new tummy is not liking it too much & how long (if ever) does it take for the pouch to adapt? All I can think of is the commercial...Beef...it's whats for dinner....NOT! I'm finding that my hair is starting to become a little brittle...I'm about 6 weeks out & notice that it is starting to break easy (not falling out). I'm pretty sure this is due to not getting my protein in like I should...(I'm struggling). I have an appt. with my hair dresser on the 14th, I may have to go a little shorter than I'd personally like to keep it some what healthy. I cannot drink the protein drinks...anything with Whey in it makes me gag and at times my throat starts to itch...I'm thinking it's a small allergy. I'm trying Slim Fast low carb as it's milk protein...but I know it's not enough. I do have a follow-up with Dr. B on Thursday so I'll run this by him also. Any suggestions? Thanks all, Mickey

Hi there! It took me three months or more before I could handle a little piece of steak. Even then, I ate it with some sweet or mashed potatoes. Only good cuts, cooked no more than medium. If I reheat it the next day, it's usually too dry and bothers me. Same with all meat. One thing that worked well for me was the inside of a calzone/ I didn't eat the bread, just two ounces or so of the cheese. OK, not the best calorie-wise, but it worked. White fish with a low-fat dressing, baked only a few minutes. Tunafish with extra low-fat mayonaise, chicken noodle soup, heatly request type, with soft, long noodles. Sugar-free pudding. Small shrimp, chewed well. Here I am just about 8 months out, and got sick this weekend eating a one ounce piece of pork rib. That will be the last time. Give your stomach plenty of time to adjust, it may be a little early to try things like steak. I'm sure Dr. Barba will help, but you may talk to Carolyn for some recommendations. Nice to see you around! --Steve

Hi Steve, I did try the inside of a crab rangoon about the week ago..wasn't the greatest in fat/calories but it was really smooth & was easy to get down. I'll have to give the calzone idea a try, I can see why that would be easy on the pouch. I did find a navy bean soup that is really good...& I've been having no problems with it. Also low fat cream of chicken has been my life saver in a pinch. Tuna I can't eat due to allergies..although I used to love the stuff when I was a kid. I'm subbing with the swanson chicken breast with light mayo...works pretty well. I'm laying off the steak for a month or two & will retry...I probably pushed my stomach too hard in that area. I'm learning though...just a nasty way to find out that it was a "no no". Thanks Steve Mickey

Michelle: I have a hard time with dense protein. I would give those types of protein a break and try them again in about a month & see how you do again later. I get most of my protein from shakes. The Slim Fast low carb and the Atkins ones are great for me. I found the texture of my hair changed after surgery also. At about 4 months out I started loosing hair but nobody other than me noticed. It stoped at about 8 months and seems to be fine now. Give your body time to adjust. Fluids are the most important and try to get in as much protein as you can. The Slim Fast ones have 20 grams which is good. Best of luck to you & keep up the good work. You will do GREAT!!! Chryssie

I do think that you might be a little early on the red meat eating. Perhaps your pouch is telling you it's just not interested! You could try ground beef, which is a little easier. But, that might not work either. Just take it easy and give the beef a break for a little while. Re the hair- well, I don't know what to tell you about that! I've never heard of someones hair getting brittle rather than falling out. That's a new one on me. Re the protein: you can also look for drinks that are Soy based. Or, you can make your own protein drink with Carb Countdown milk or Soy milk orJust regualr milk and add in powdered milk for extra protein. THen you can add in fruit, SF syrup, ice, OJ, a little yogurt or anything you like that makes it yummy. Stick it in the blender- and Voila! Instant protein shake. No nasty whey to deal with and no $$$ powder to buy. You can get powdered milk in the grocery store for next to nothing. good luck to you! Lisa C

Hi Lisa, Thanks for your feedback. I agree I tried to push the steak too soon. So I'm going to lay off of it for a few months. A few other members posted that they're either experiencing or had brittle hair so it's nice to know that I'm not the only one having gone through this..sigh...my hair was I felt one of my better features...UGH..looks like a new hair-do is in order soon! Soy is a no-no for me...I have an alergy to it & makes me itch terribly in my mouth, ears, & throat so this is going to be a little bit of a challenge. I'll check into the powered milk though that's a great idea and probably alot better tasting too... Thanks so much for sharing your ideas with me. Mickey

Hi Mickey, I, too, had a problem with brittle hair...and then it started to fall out. It's all from not being able to get enough protein in. I still struggle with the hairloss, and I'm 11 months out. So hang in. I use Nioxin Bionutrient treatment and Rogaine for Women, they both seem to help, but my hair is still very very dry. It actually broke off in the front (bangs). I guess it's the price we have to pay to be thin As far as steak, I had a hard time with steak and chicken for the longest time. Try to stick with ground beef, ground turkey, fish, and cheese (soft). I even had a hard time with string cheese. Now, I can eat most meat, as long as it's not too dry. I used to add unsweetened applesauce to pork, and that would help it stay in so to speak. Good luck. JA

Hi JA, Thanks for sharing your experience with your hair & protein intake. I've been expecting to see my hair falling out but mostly it's just REALLY dry & brittle..I think I'm going to go a little shorter with more layers to try to help it through this process... I'm doing well with chicken, fish, and soft cheese...String cheese is my favorite friend as of late. I'm afraid to try pork after my experience the past few nights...I think I'll hold off on steak & pork for awhile until I'm further out with my recovery. I did try ground beef once (Wendy's chili) & it didn't sit well at all, it took for ever to go through so I'm thinking that may also be off limits for awhile. Thanks bunches, Mickey

Im having the same problem with brittle hair, and now its falling out too. I use this nioxin shampoo and conditioner but its not helping much. Im almost 5 months out. I also have trouble keeping food down. Especially dinner. Its weird, I can have something one week and Im fine with it. Try it again in 2 weeks and up it comes. Makes no sense to me. Some weeks I can keep my food down, the next I cant. I keep saying this is a week I can eat, this is a week I can not. I can eat meat mainly if I keep it moist. Like a pork chop smothered in no sugar added applesauce. Steak, has to be very medium and a very good cut, like filet mignon or rib eye. Very moist and only a little bit. I notice if I take my time. Take a bite, walk away do something, come back have some more. I can keep it down. There are certain things I just cant eat like you and probably never will be able to. I doubt I will try them again. I just dont care that much. I have not tried the inside of a calzone yet, that is an idea. Mostly what works for me the best is soups. I keep them down the most. I have a great recipe for a minestrone soup that has it all in it and it is quite delicious. If you want it I will post the recipe. Its easy, and cheap to make. Good luck, let us know how you do. Lauren PS I really need to change my picture, I really dont look like this anymore. Ive lost 70 pounds.

Thanks for the tips Lauren. I'd love the recipe...I'm finding since the surgery I'm really limited...I have some major food allergies to luegumes..(can't spell) so peas, lentils, peanuts, or anything in this family..including SOY sends me totally over the top anaphlatic reaction, which is life & death for me if I don't get my behind to the hospital. I think the whole learning process with my new tummy is trial & error. I'll lay off the red meat for a month or so & retry it. I agree with one of the postings that it's probably too early for me. I'll ask my hair dresser if there's anything else that can be done besides the regular over the counter remedies. Who knows maybe a shorter cute hair-do is just what the Dr ordered. That's AWESOME about your weight loss. I go to Dr. B on Thursday..I can't wait to see what the scale says! Thanks so much, Mickey